An unassuming metal barn erected recently at the southern edge of the University of California, Davis campus houses some advanced video technology for a uniquely UC Davis project.

Leveraging UC Davis’ historic strengths in veterinary medicine and engineering, the Center for Animal Flight and Innovation is the only facility of its kind in the United States and one of very few in the world capable of capturing images of birds in flight in exquisite detail. It will use state-of-the-art technology to get new insights into how birds — specifically, hawks and other raptors — maneuver in the air.

Some raptors are among the fastest birds in flight; many have a great ability to maneuver in tight spaces or around obstacles to track and seize prey. Understanding how the birds perform these feats could lead to improvements in uncrewed aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs or drones, as well as in understanding how to treat and rehabilitate injured birds.

The Center for Animal Flight and Innovation was hatched from a collaboration between Christina Harvey, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Professor Michelle Hawkins at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine and the California Raptor Center. A grant from U.S. Army Combat Capability Development Command Army Research Laboratory equipped the center with cutting-edge technology to capture detailed images of birds in flight to advance UAV research.

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